Consett has a rich and proud tradition of steel manufacturing.
When it ended in the 1980’s, the steelworks site was transferred from the Government to the Local Authority (then Derwentside District Council) and a dowry grant payment (the Derelict Land Grant) was paid to the council to enable demolition and clear up of the site.
Realising that the community and surrounding areas needed investment and job creation, the Council needed an innovative approach to the development to ensure value of the grant remained in the land.
The solution was found in Project Genesis.
Created by the Council and development company Dysart Developments Ltd, the arrangement saw the creation of the Project Genesis Trust, a registered charity responsible for the regeneration of the site in such a way that brought housing, employment, education, environmental, leisure and recreational benefits for the people of the area.
The Board of Trustees, acting on behalf of the Trust, retains responsibility for the implementation of the ‘Master Plan’.
Since its establishment the Genesis Project has facilitated over £200m of investment in the site which has been totally transformed since the 1980’s. Land has been redeveloped for commercial, industrial, residential and amenity use but there is still much to be achieved.
